Their New Voices
by Amber Iris
Summary: In this world of people who can only whisper, or people who cannot yet speak with elegance, it is up to them to find their new voices through a shared passion of music. Neji/Tenten AU (rated T to be safe)
1. Chapter 1

Their New Voices

_**Disclaimer: I do not, in any shape or form, own Naruto.**_

I wanted to try something new with this, so this is an AU, music-centered Nejiten fic when they are both adults (23 to be precise). It was a challenge for me to take this on, because I am nowhere near the characters' ages, and to also incorporate classical music (another one of my favorite things), it really wasn't easy. Enjoy!

Chapter 1

Tenten's dream was to perform as a solo artist, with a famed full orchestra, in front of a large audience. When she would actually willingly dress up like a girl for once, when she could hear applause for doing the thing she loved most. Playing the violin.

Blinking from the harsh stage light, she could only think that, well, it wasn't exactly what she hoped for, but it was close enough. Not the famed symphonic orchestra she dreamed about, but a famed pianist was pretty good, eh? She gripped the neck of her violin more tightly. Applause thundered in her ears as she smiled widely and took a bow.

It was the first time she had performed with a pianist she didn't know. Her manager apparently thought it was no need to tell her who she was going to perform with. She grit her teeth slightly behind tight lips.

She was performing the Mendelssohn violin concerto in e minor. Tenten had practiced for hours every week to perfect the piece to its high demand of not only technique but also the artistry and expression behind it. She took a shaky breath and whipped her head around to signal the pianist, strands of hair framing her face.

What she saw nearly shocked her out of her wits. Those penetrating eyes like two orbs of moonlight, hard pearls. That angled face, pale and unblemished. That hard line that was his mouth, lips pressed together firmly. That emotionless expression slightly covered by that long hair, the color of espresso.

She nodded absentmindedly and put up her violin, her brain whirring. She would not let just a familiar face distract her from her lifelong ambition.

Her violin went up in a fluid motion, and soon, only music flowed through her ears and only notes clouded her vision.

She just wished those two moons in her mind would disappear.

Her bow finished accordingly with a flourish. The audience was beyond themselves, screaming and clapping and whooping and stamping their feet. Tenten smiled shyly, accepted some flowers, and bowed repeatedly to more uproar.

She felt a pair of white eyes boring holes into the back of her skull. Tenten risked a look back. She mouthed a shaky "thank you" to the pianist and tried not to fall as she wobbled off the stage. She heard the piano bench scrape the wooden stage as _he_ prepared to leave the stage.

In the back, Tenten wiped her violin carefully as if it were her own child. What was he doing here? This wasn't his dream. Most of all, who ever thought she would perform in a prestigious concert hall with her former classmate, former friend, slight rival?

"You did so well!" a backstage worker squealed. Tenten offered a shaky smile, mind only on one person. White eyes obscured her vision. Sighing in confusion, she hitched up her skirt and tried not to fall on those stupid heels.

She was looking forward to that nice tub of Neapolitan ice cream at home. She snapped her case shut. And Sakura would be at the flat with fresh food. Home seemed welcoming for the musician. She did not want to sort out the confusion regarding her and her former friend.

Tenten breathed in deeply and opened the heavy door. The night air was welcoming, cool against her face, unlike the stuffy aura the concert hall held. She scanned her surroundings carefully and sighed again. Since Sakura drove her here, Tenten didn't have her car here. She'd have to call for a taxi. And for this summer evening, it looked very difficult to call for a cab. In frustration, she started to walk, slightly limping, across the parking lot.

Until an arm jerked her back to the curb. Cursing as she stumbled over her shoes, she whipped her head around to tell off the person who so kindly almost made her die on those stupid heels.

But all her anger melted away once those white eyes, expressionless and mysterious, locked with her gaze. She stepped back slightly to look over him. Was he always taller than her, even with those agony-inducing shoes? Did so much change once they all left for their own paths all those years ago? Did they always act like this towards each other?

He looked similar enough, although taller and leaner, eyes holding more wisdom and, if it was even more possible, more mystery. His long hair, unbound tonight, waved around his pale face, touching his strong jawline. The sleeves of his gray dress shirt were rolled up despite the chilly night.

"Tenten." She snapped her gaze back up to his face. It was hard not to get lost in those eyes. "I am sure I was as surprised as you when I found out who was performing with me tonight."

"My manager wouldn't tell me who the pianist was. But it happened to be you, huh?" Her fingers gripped the handle of her case even more tightly. His eyes seemed to soften then harden again.

"Has it been so long since high school?" Tenten pressed on. "When it only mattered what chair we placed in orchestra? When it only mattered how good our grades or our athleticism was so we could make it to a prestigious university?" She herself had studied overseas at Stanford University in their music program while he had been accepted at the widely renowned Juilliard School.

"We've left for each of our own paths, Tenten. But these two paths happened to intersect at this point. Who knows how many more times our paths will cross?"

"That's a mighty good metaphorical way to put it, eh?" Tenten offered meekly. He smirked with a hint of arrogance. "Of course."

Silence weighed overhead after that like a heavy boulder. Tenten forced herself to speak, throat dry and heart pounding. "You should have been concertmaster. I didn't deserve such a prestigious seat in our orchestra while you were in the back of the first violins. If I could take us back there right now, I would make sure I failed my audition and find a way to make you first chair. You were an obviously better player. Why did I let our small rivalry get in the way of our friendship? We were never the same since, were we?"

"But look where that has gotten you," he replied. "Playing in this grand concert hall because the confidence of being concertmaster motivated you to strive to be even better. I, on the other hand, put my violin away and continued playing the piano. Once my favorite pastime, it is now my major career. I suppose I have to thank you for getting me this far as well."

"We need to use the past as a learning experience to help us in the future. I suppose I took my newfound confidence to tell me that yes, I could make it into a world class university overseas, and yes, I could be even better than the concertmaster of the high school's top orchestra. I guess I never had much confidence because one of my closest friends, you, overshadowed me sometimes. Friendship needs rivalry so each one of them can be better than they ever thought before. We just didn't realize that we excelled in our own areas, and, I guess, the sum of our expertise in each individual area was equal. We just couldn't look past ourselves to see the other." She shifted a little under the crescent moon.

His eyes roved around, following her every little movement. "Everyone deserves self-confidence. Maybe we've just refused to believe that we could be better." He searched her amber eyes for an answer. She closed her eyes slowly and willed her heart to stop beating so quickly under his gaze. "Yeah, well." It was obvious that the conversation ended there.

"We've been out here long enough," he stated after half a minute of another grueling silence. "It seems you don't have a ride, huh?" Tenten was glad he couldn't sense her flushed cheeks under the darkening sky. "No, actually. My flatmate drove me out here tonight. I was hoping to catch a taxi back, but it seems Lady Luck has not favored me tonight."

"I'll take you back," he offered, surprising her. She broke out into a small smile, the first genuine smile the entire night. "Won't that be bothersome for you?"

"No, it's fine. Sasuke wants me to pass on a message to Sakura, anyway."

"You still keep in touch with him?" She was surprised that he was still in contact with one of their friends from high school. But, she mused, after all, they were pretty close. Like her and Sakura. He chuckled, a noise that came from the hollow of his throat. It had been a long time since she had heard that sound.

"I am not that heartless, Tenten." She suppressed another smile as he led the way to his car. It didn't work, and she burst out in spontaneous laughter, clear and ringing in the night. He smirked, tilting his lips upward. It had been a while since she had seen that. She hadn't realized how much she had missed her former friend until tonight. As he used to say, one fateful night. She tilted her head up to the moon, nostalgia rippling over her along with the chill of the breeze.

She was drawn back to Earth as his car chirped as he pointed his key at it. Ever the polite person, he opened the door to the passenger side as she climbed in, a smile still gracing her features. Of course, this car was different from his last one from their senior year. It had been too long since senior year. Five years never seemed to be such a long time for Tenten, but now, after being "reunited" with one of her formerly closest friends, high school seemed like eons away.

The drive back was silent for half of the way except for the honking of horns and the rush of cars on the highway. After fifteen minutes, Tenten decided to break the glass. "So tell me what you're doing now. I think we have some catching up to do." She had his email, address, and phone number, but once they embarked on the journey to college, they had lost all contact. She always found herself staring at his contact for the longest time on her phone before sighing and locking the screen. Of course, she thought, why should I bother? We all left for our own roads, and we should I all be something more beneficial than searching through remnants of the past.

She was looking out the window, but she could detect a hint of a smile in his voice. "Well, I went to Juilliard for piano, Hinata joining me a year later, but for flute instead. We both graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Music. And my current manager hired me to be an accompanist for major solo artists out there. Sometimes, I'd get calls from the film industry.

"Personal life wise, more or less the same, I guess. Practice, practice, and more practice. It hasn't changed much. Relationship wise, well, let's just say I haven't found the right person yet." He exited the highway. "What about you? It seems I've done enough talking today, hn?"

"Same as you, except in Stanford. I earned a Bachelor's degree in Music. I had done some small concerts at some community venues, like at churches and community service centers, until my manager heard of my work around the community. So, I had always been about charity. One quarter of my income goes to charity.

"Personal life now, huh? Well. Same. Practice makes perfect, they said, right? For me, well, let's just say I stuck to my unofficial motto from my freshman year. Forever Alone." She laughed, her voice echoing off the car. "For you, it probably wasn't so hard to find girls just kneeling at your feet, huh? Though, knowing you, they were all rejected, huh?" He smirked but offered a quiet, "Hn." Which translated to, of course.

He pulled up at the curb in front of her flat. Accompanying her to the door, he seemed surprised when she put down her case. She smiled brightly, slightly hesitant at what to say. Surprising herself, she wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. "I'll see you around." She removed her arms. "And, thanks, Neji."


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, Neji would obviously be alive.**_

I found this chapter really hard to write and very boring and filler-ish. It just gives background and such. I will try to post more but school :O I have everything up to Chapter 6 written out. I hope you enjoy!

EDIT: I don't know how it happened, but there was this weird programming language thing throughout this chapter, and someone commented on it (thank you so much for pointing it out! Yeah, I know I should fix it, but I don't know how :( I guess I'm re-uploading/editing this chapter a little. Thank you, December 25th!) I hope this time it's easier to read, but I'm not sure if it would be fixed just by editing the chapter.

Sakura opened the door of the flat to see the two most unlikely people in a hug. She stared openly at them unashamedly until remembering to have some decency and covered her mouth, which was agape. Her emerald eyes crinkled as she smiled and cleared her throat.

The two sprang apart immediately once they sensed another's presence. Tenten swiveled around to meet a grinning Sakura with a flushed face. Neji looked at Tenten's flatmate with a collected look of indifference. "Sasuke wants me to tell you that you owe him 500 yen because you bet that Japan would beat Ivory Coast today," Neji recited in a monotone with a barely hidden smirk. Sakura sobered up immediately. "Damn, I didn't think he was serious about the bet. I was just having some patriotic spirit." She handed Neji a bill with a sour look on her face. "He's so serious, pft."

Neji took this time to take his leave, holding up a pale hand as a sign of goodbye. Sakura yelled, "Bye!" as Tenten waved timidly at his back, a smile threatening to spill out on her face. They watched his car pull out of the driveway and make a left out the neighborhood. Once the lights disappeared from their vision, the pink haired woman turned around with an evil smile on her face. This is it, Tenten thought with dread. This is where it ends.

Sakura's eyes glinted with malice. "Spill." Tenten scowled and limped inside with her violin. She did not want to face her best friend at the moment. Placing her case at the doorway of her room, Tenten turned to face Sakura with a neutral expression. "Oh, about the performance? I could have done better, I mean there was one part where there was a really bad intonation issue and in the third movement I ran out of bow at one point, such an elementary mistake-"

"Anything, perhaps, about the accompaniment?" Sakura snickered from behind the cup of instant ramen she was busy enjoying. "Or the accompanist?" Tenten continued to ignore her friend. "It would be such a great experience if, you know, I had the chance to perform at least once with a professional symphonic orchestra. But I can't get my hopes up." She disappeared into her room to get out of the dress. While actually liking to dress up for important concerts and such, Tenten hated the dress the moment she stepped out of the hall.

She emerged a few minutes later in a baggy sweatshirt and yoga pants, hair in two messy buns on each side of her head. Sakura was still smirking, green eyes following the path of her chopsticks as she swirled the broth around in the styrofoam cup of instant ramen. Tenten hurried to make herself some too.

The two were silent as Tenten poured boiling water into the unmade cup of noodles. When she sat down at the round wooden table with mismatched chairs, Sakura's eyes moved from her soup to Tenten's face in what the former hoped to be a nonchalant and not obvious manner. Tenten's eyes narrowed anyway. "I'm not stupid, Sakura. You were wondering about Neji, aren't you?"

Sakura leaned back into the wooden chair, resting her elbows on the table and linking her fingers together. Her lips quirked up into a smile. "It is very obvious that that was honestly the least likely thing that I thought was going to happen. Yes, Sasuke told me that Neji was performing with you. Did I expect you to get so close? No."

Tenten's eyebrows rose higher, in danger of disappearing behind her bangs. "Is it the biggest deal in the world? Just some former classmates' reunion." She honestly did not want to talk at the moment, instead hastily eating as fast as she could. Sakura, obviously, did not oblige, and kept talking, ignoring the fact that her ramen was getting colder and colder.

"Not just former classmates, were you? If I remember clearly, you were the best of friends in junior and senior year. Well," she cocked her head sideways, "I guess you and I weren't the best of friends just yet then, but now we are, eh?" Sakura got up from her chair, the legs scraping the floor, to throw her cup away. When she got back from the trash can, Tenten's position hadn't changed, her mouth slightly open, face expressionless otherwise.

Sakura's eyes gleamed under the light overhead. "Things change, I guess," she continued. "You always seemed so awkward when the subject, when he was your closest friend. I guess, starting in senior year, things tensed a little. Now you were not only just best friends, but also kind of like rivals. Now don't hit me or anything like that, but I think orchestra really got to your heads. I mean, I really don't know that much about classical music and orchestra and seating and all that because I studied medicine, but competition really got into your heads. Having your heads slightly more blown up, having bigger egos, self pride, and all that, you sacrificed some of what you had before. Friendship is fragile. It is very important to not toy around with such a delicate thread."

Tenten soundlessly listened to Sakura while absentmindedly swirling her noodles around. Could two people change so much and run so far away from each other in five years? She could barely refrain herself from hiding her face in her hands. She and Neji had distanced themselves reluctantly, yet also willingly at the same time. Their achievements had gotten the best of them and inflated their heads, making them so narrow-minded that they couldn't see past their path to glory. She supposed, competition made people selfish, arrogant, and forgetful of what was more important. Thinking about it now, Tenten knew she would rather sacrifice a glorious and admirable honor than sacrifice an invaluable bond.

Sakura watched as her friend face morphed from confusion, regret, resignation, pain, and in the end, settled on a look that she couldn't describe, as if Tenten had aged twenty years in ten minutes. The pink-haired woman, not the ditzy girl she was before, could only pity the usually fierce and warrior-like Tenten as she had her moment of vulnerability. Only one person could induce such a change in character. No one other than Hyuuga Neji. Just a mention of his name was enough to cause the durable walls around Tenten's heart to shatter as if they were made of nothing but glass. She took a risk before and she lost.

Maybe she always knew the reason why the originally strong bond of friendship was now a pile of dust now. Maybe she just couldn't pinpoint it as well as Sakura. Maybe, even a year or two after graduation from high school, she hadn't deflated her head enough to see past what happened before. Maybe she just refused to see her relationship as something she could start anew, instead seeing it as a ruined and broken attempt at something bigger.

It was a rumor during when they were in school that perhaps the two best violinists in the entire school were going out. And, as annoying as the fast-spreading inaccurate words were, Tenten couldn't erase the nagging thought in the back of her mind that said that the idea was conceivable and that it was possible. And maybe that was also another reason that their friendship fell apart. Tenten had developed a crush on no one other than Neji, her closest friend. Becoming afraid of her feelings led to distancing herself from him, indulging more into practicing the violin and schoolwork, which further led to even more competition.

Suddenly not feeling hungry anymore, Tenten pushed her chair back, legs scraping the floor, throwing her almost untouched food away. Sakura's green eyes narrowed, but not completely startled by the change of behavior. Only one white-eyed individual haunted the independent and strong-willed Tenten, and it definitely wasn't Hinata. Tenten brushed some stray hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear, looking very worn and weary, as if thinking about the past tired her out. "I'm going to take a shower. I won't be too long." Sakura nodded, a sign of acknowledgment of the other's words. The brunette disappeared behind the corner of the hallway.

Tenten, like many others, liked scalding showers. Steam filled every corner of the bathroom the two shared, usually visible objects just silhouettes in the vapor. Hot water helped her think. Maybe not always about pleasant things, but she thought a lot nonetheless.

When her train of thought always ran back to Neji, she had to try her best to not squash her bottle of shampoo into a mass of plastic and bubbles. She couldn't lie and say that she hadn't missed him at all. She just buried herself under mountains of school work and exams and practice and college applications and essays just to use stress to help her forget about what was the most important thing of all. She sacrificed so much to get to the pinnacle of success, just to realize she wasn't completely happy. Yes, getting accepted to Stanford, performing in venues to donate to charity, and performing in concert halls with renowned pianists (most of the time, she thought. Neji seemed to be requested by other soloists as well. He has gotten really far since five years ago.) was an honor, but the only friend from before she kept in contact with was Sakura and Sasuke, only because she lived with Sakura and she was going out with Sasuke. She wouldn't be too surprised if they announced their engagement anytime soon.

She turned off the water, head brimming with thoughts. Changing quickly, she hurriedly dried her hair, opening the door for Sakura's turn. Steam from the restroom floated around in clouds of fog, fanning out in the hallway. Tenten plodded into her bedroom, crashing on her bed, rumpling the pre-made sheets. She closed her eyes. memories washing over like water and foam washing over sand at the beach.

"Concertmaster, Tenten! Come on now, take a seat. You should be proud of your achievement." Whispers follow her, saying words such as "the Hyuuga" and "Tenten" and "the Hyuuga would've gotten her seat" and "she should've got second chair" and "the lovebirds should've been together". She ignores them and takes her seat, feeling a sense of pride and something she can't place. She later finds out that it is self-confidence.

"Good job, you deserve that spot." She smiles. "Thank you," she replies. "You are the first person to come and tell that to me and actually at least kind of mean it."

"That's what best friends are for."

She vaguely sees him clench his fist when the crowd gives her a standing ovation as the soloist. She almost dismisses it as a hallucination. His eyes hurt the back of her skull. She just smiles at the amazed parents, acknowledgment being her motivation.

She doesn't feel happy when she receives her high school diploma. He didn't even come to say goodbye. Sakura had left with Sasuke beforehand, wanting to spend some time together before embarking on the trip to college.

She is packing for her four year stay at Stanford University. Her room feels bare, and she knows she is not coming back. She is going to room with Sakura in the heart of the city once they graduate. She says goodbye to her parents, her home, and the photos of herself and him together.

Her dorm is blindingly white and empty. It looks untouched. Her roommate is a girl named Temari. They bicker occasionally, but they mostly get along. They become good friends with time. They share secrets and they sympathize. Hyuuga and Nara geniuses, huh? They promise to see each other in the city after they graduate.

She stares at the phone screen, debating whether or not to call him or text him or email him or anything at all. But she is scared. She hasn't felt this way since she had gained such a prestigious honor such as concertmaster in the highest orchestra at school. In the end, fear won out confidence, and she puts her phone down, burying her face in her hands. Temari barges in unexpectedly but comforts her. "Those geniuses, huh? It's hard, innit? Boost up your game, and get him next time, girl. You've got it in ya." In the end, she still doesn't call him.

She feels his hair tickle her neck as she whispers her thanks. It has been five years. She can feel her heart do a flip. She doesn't want to let go.

After taking a trip down memory lane, she didn't even hear Sakura telling her she was going to sleep. Tenten walked stealthily down the hallway to find her room pitch black. She shook her head and made her way back to her own room.

Tenten flipped the light switch, enveloping her and her room in complete darkness. She looked out the window, stars winking at her and the moon staring at her. It reminded her of his eyes, but she made no move to close the curtains over it. She fell asleep quickly to the sight of the night sky, thinking that she would take the initiative and call him for the first time in five years.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. If I did, Itachi would be alive and well.**_

I feel like this was a little stretched but I think it was needed. I will really try to update more often (and if you read my last chapter, I've already wrote out until Chapter 6 and the beginning of Chapter 7), but school has really taken a toll on me, and one of my best friends is going through a really hard time with something right now, so don't expect too many updates. It would mean a lot to me if you guys dropped a review (constructive criticism allowed!) and favorite and/or follow if you like it! I guarantee it will get better later.

Morning came in a flash of light as Sakura bounded into her room and whipped her curtains apart, letting the sun's rays almost blinding her. Tenten made a sound of distress, moving the pillow to cover her head. She could already tell that Sakura was grinning from ear to ear. "Rise and shine. Guess what time it is."

"Nine? Nine-thirty? Ten?" She could hear Sakura laughing, giggles slightly muffled by the pillow over her ears. Tenten clenched her fists under her sheets. When Sakura laughed like that, doom fell to Earth. "It's six-thirty! Go call Neji or something if you can't fall asleep again!" When Tenten rose from underneath her pillow, Sakura was not greeted by Tenten's usual be hair and grumpy face but Tenten's pillow. "Can it, Sakura." Sakura was not deterred by this more than unpleasant greeting, but was secretly delighted that Tenten did not transform into her usual vulnerable self when confronted about the Hyuuga.

"You've got a lot of work today. Muster up that courage you lost five years ago."

"I'm going to brush my teeth. I can't sleep now. Thanks a lot, Sakura."

"No problem."

"Shut up and let me squeeze my toothpaste in peace." Tenten grumbled as she and Sakura piled into the bathroom. The pink-haired woman started by combing through her short locks, detangling them and straightening them out. "Hey, you didn't react too strongly when I mentioned a certain someone's name just not too long ago," she said casually, hoping that Tenten wouldn't catch the lilt in her voice indicating curiosity. Tenten gave an uncommittable grunt from the sink, continuing to clean her teeth thoroughly.

"Seeing as you just recently sort of got back into contact with him, maybe you should go out on a date or whatever." That was apparently the worst thing to say at the moment, for Tenten spewed her toothpaste all over the mirror and sink. Coughing, she took a long draught of water, slamming her cup down, water splashing over the rim of the cup. She hurriedly took a wet towel and wiped the mirror clean, still wheezing.

"I kid, I kid!" Sakura was waving her hands, a terrified expression on her face. It was her turn to endure Tenten's wrath. To her surprise, the brunette just took another towel and started washing her face. "Not like a date, I guess," Tenten said, rubbing at her face. "We have some catching up to do. After all, it has been five years." She twisted her hair up into two buns on top of her head.

Sakura smirked. "Five years too long, eh?" Tenten hung up the towel, rubbing her eyes. "Five years too long," she confirmed, turning away around the corner to her room. Her friend smiled, nostalgia making her lips curl up.

The sun smiled serenely at the woman with trembling hands. This wasn't supposed to be nerve wracking. She was piecing together the broken shards of a relationship that could have been. She had thought that walking away from her hope and dream was the correct thing to do, yet it only cracked her heart in more places. Pieces of glass shards rained down, dusting her hair, cutting her not physically but emotionally. Broken pieces of her memories that were reluctantly broken apart by herself in a failed attempt to forget the piece to keep moving on in the future. She did not throw away the broken pieces, yet kept them in a secret place in her heart as a keepsake. Her fingers pulled out the glass; she didn't care if they scraped her hands or cut her until she bled. She chose to fix everything that was lost.

Tenten remembered Temari's words. "_Those geniuses, huh? It's hard, innit? Boost up your game, and get him next time, girl. You've got it in ya." _Her fiery roommate was such a pain sometimes, but she had to admit, she really liked the girl. Hotheaded and blunt, the teal-eyed woman was a source of stability to Tenten, not afraid to say her mind, which is to say, she wasn't afraid of herself. Temari graduated with top honors, finding a high-class job in Tokyo. They were still in contact, yet with Tenten performing around constantly and Temari being busy with work, they hadn't much time to talk. Yet Temari was the anchor keeping Tenten's sanity.

However, the woman thought bitterly, Shikamaru was a friend of both Neji and Sasuke, and he was the one to make a first move, no matter how "troublesome" it was. And they've been going out for a while now. She hated to use the Nara's words at a time like this, but she had always thought trying to pluck up her courage was too troublesome. Well, Shikamaru would be happy that she had a change of heart.

She picked up her phone and unlocked the screen, preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.

It really wasn't so hard, she thought, finding his contact and not feeling any stabbing feeling in her heart. It really wasn't so hard listening to the drone on the other end. It suddenly became a Herculean task when he picked up. She didn't realize she was gaping like an idiot on her end while Neji kept asking "Hello?" on the other end.

"Tenten, I'm going to hang up if you don't answer."

"Hi, Neji." She sucked in a breath. Adults were much more cowardly than teenagers, speaking their minds and having their own opinions and acting on their own accords. She could almost hear him smirk from the other end. "Hn. So you were there."

"I was." _I just couldn't talk you to normally after so long. I was afraid._ She hoped she couldn't catch the real meaning under her bland two words. He just plunged on, either ignoring her or really not hearing her. "There must be a reason that you called after five years, Tenten."

"Hm. Of course. I was really just wondering…" Her throat constricted, reducing her ability to speak to some breathy gasp. "We have some catching up to do, for former best friends, huh." It was like an audition all over again. The playing was over, and it was the tentative and deafening silence before the judges spoke. "We should meet up. See really what has changed. Five years would be a long time for someone to not change at all, you see."

Silence settled over her like a storm cloud, ready to erupt into a tempest. She could almost see him frown on the other end. And the clouds broke. But it wasn't a rainstorm, a thunderstorm, blizzard, or anything.

She saw the sun. Out of just a few words. Words could break or heal.

"Of course. I'll pick you up today."

"You seem awfully joyful, you know," Sakura remarked blandly as she picked at the food lying limply on her plate. Tenten just smiled a little, not touching her breakfast at all except for reaching out to drink some coffee. Sakura tilted her head slightly as she peered at her flatmate across the rim of her own mug. Something went right today, for once. She herself had gotten a message that her annual salary had been lowered. She usually didn't get such a disappointing message this early in the morning. But Tenten sure experienced the opposite.

"Something happened to you, dinnit." The brunette woman let the corners of her lips quirk up. "The reason we act different is always because something happened. We just need to place whether it will affect us greatly in the future or not, in a harmful or beneficial way." Sakura just laughed out loud, throwing her head back in mirth. "You and your smart-aleck replies, you." Tenten just disappeared around the hallway, her breakfast untouched. Sakura smiled. It might have been the end for her, but the day initiated a new beginning for someone else. The thought of something that simple made Sakura's day.

The day seemed to drag by, though it hadn't even reached noon. Tenten had already took out her violin and played through the Mendelssohn five times, taking up over two hours. The prospect of actually talking to someone in real life other than Sakura or Temari or Shikamaru was truly a compromising and motivating thing, which in the long run, kept her patience and her sanity. She told herself to calm down, that he was her best friend from high school, they were really close before, they were nearly inseparable before. But only one thought came to mind, and it was that the distance prompted her to fall in love with him even more.

Yes, she had admitted to herself. Something she had try to deny for years. And just one performance brought the pure and simple truth up to the surface.

The thing was: truths were almost never pure, and they were absolutely never simple. Truths were like roots; the foundation of people and their actions, causes of the effects, supporting the people so they could grow or blossom into something great, based on those truths. Roots twisted and turned, leading anywhere. And, when the roots break, or the person loses their roots, they wilt, have no support, and keep their heads low. Roots can twist a mind and turn a person's intentions. Truths were never pure and simple; they were complex and dangerous.

It never seemed that way. _I love him_ have no meaning unless strung together, and even then, to others, it seemed like such a trivial thing to fuss over about, like a friend always telling another "I love you" in a platonic way, or brothers and sisters saying "Love you". It was harder when it stretched farther than platonic and ran deeper than just blood relations. And it was the most difficult when people think that way and actually mean it when they say "I love you" in that same way.

Sakura was out for the day, having to rush to the hospital earlier today at an urgent call. Tenten was alone in the small flat they shared. She and Sakura usually were alone at home, Sakura either at work or at Sasuke's place while Tenten practiced or performed at other venues. Tenten never felt alone, surrounded by notes and music in which she could see colors. It was always hard for her to say what she really wanted to say, mainly because she knew she would sound out of place or like a smart-aleck. She couldn't put her thoughts into words, she wasn't like Neji, eloquent in speech and in music. While he had his own voice, his piano, and his violin as his voices, Tenten's only inspirational voice was her violin. She spoke in color and music, in singing strings and brilliance of sound.

Music spoke the words she couldn't express, her violin sang instead of herself, finding her vocal abilities abysmal and not unlike a cat with a hairball. And despite his confidence in public speaking and ability to find all the right words, she knew Neji found his voice in music as well, expressing both his words and his emotions, which were always so carefully and strategically hidden behind his unreadable white eyes. Their music and their voices not only symbolized their pasts but their presents as well, undoubtedly showcasing the future at the same time. And it was up to them how they played that music, determining how they lived and how they acted.

Tenten wiped her violin, running one finger down the scroll and the neck, as careful with it as if it were a potato sized diamond, which in her eyes, was not as precious as her violin. She waited for Kiba next door to poke his head through the window to comment on her practice like usual ("Damn, dude, you are sure persistent, practicing for so long, even longer than yesterday, what was it, two and half hours today? Man, you sure got some patience. I can barely stand my sis for more than fifteen minutes at a time."), but he didn't come. He just seemed like a constant presence in a world eternally changing. Only music, Kiba, Temari, and Sakura anchored her to the Earth. Without them, she felt as if she would have floated away a long time ago. When Neji floated away from her.

And he was back. It wasn't as if he was ever gone, he was always there. They floated apart in a way, however. They just couldn't find their ways back. The wind carried her to so many different places, never stopping for long in one place, until Temari stuck her foot down in the dormitory at Stanford University, keeping the brunette sane and level-headed.

Tenten sighed and placed her violin carefully down in her case with her bow, untightening the hairs in a mechanical manner, clasping it shut. She always felt as if she couldn't adapt as fast as the world changed around her, turbulent waves of misunderstanding and rickety rides of emotion. And life was like that, taking everything away yet leaving it in a safe place so you could see it again when you really needed it. And life decided to keep Neji locked up until now, when she needed something different other than the same recurring events.

She sat on her bed and lifted her head to greet the sun outside the window. It smiled at her in a manner that could only be described as encouraging. She could only smile back in a similar way. And thus began a new day for more than just one person.


	4. Chapter 4

Was he supposed to be a nervous wreck? This wasn't an audition, an interview, a performance, and it definitely wasn't a debut at a great hall. After being subject to any of those for so long, it really was a surprise that a person like him would become even a bit anxious. Sure, ever since that day they met for the first time in five grueling years, gears turned and things changed, but he wasn't sure if he could pinpoint it as better or worse.

The sun grinned cheekily at him. He told himself, there's no going back, as he rang the doorbell to the flat.

Tenten had finally changed into something other than her pajamas, when the doorbell rang. Her nerves had run extremely high as she tossed on a plain white shirt and a Stanford hoodie and a pair of skinny jeans. Half expecting it to be Kiba coming over to not unkindly chiding her about her incessant practice or Lee two doors down exercising on his front lawn, she stumbled to the door, nearly knocking over the bench by the doorway.

Not bothering to check who it was, she swung the door open, the sun's blinding glare obscuring her vision. "Kiba, can you just do me a favor and tell Lee on your own? His 'youthfulness', I bet, scares me more than you. We took track together in high school. Try and calm him down, he lives closer to you than me. And yes, I have to practice. The school down the street wants some 'student entertainment' by Friday, and that's like three days away."

A chuckle resounded from the person at the door. It did not sound like Kiba. Tenten squinted into the sun, shielding her hazel eyes from further harm as she scrutinized her visitor.

Neji's translucent eyes stared amusedly back at her, a smirk tugging at his lips. "I thought you were Kiba for sure," she deadpanned. "What brings you here?" He was dressed more carefully than her, a black jacket over a white shirt and black jeans.

Neji gave a snort, although not unkindly. "Picking you up, of course. Or have you got short term memory loss as well like Naruto?" She tilted her head back and gave a bark of laughter. "Yeah, sure, hold on, I'll take some cash."

"Who ever said that you'd be the one paying today?" His eyes shone with mirth.

"Do you really think that I'm not going to pay for what I buy?" She picked up her wallet on the kitchen counter. "Should I always expect that a guy would pay for me?"

"Why wouldn't he? It's polite, isn't it? And for others, that's considered gentlemanly, am I wrong?" He jingled his car keys as she locked the door behind her.

"I'm not them, to put it frankly." She stepped into the car herself. "This is why it's a patriarchal society. Not because women are not strong, but because men think they are not, insisting that they do things for them. Therefore, many women of our generation, or perhaps any generation, do not have as many rights or are seen as weak. Because they succumb to others themselves without putting up a fight. Thinking that other people have their backs." While she was talking, Neji had pulled out of the driveway and out of the neighborhood onto the main road. He was silent the entire time, ever the polite person.

He was silent for a few minutes until they hit the freeway. "Ever the feminist, are you, Tenten?" She laughed out loud, rotating slightly in her seat to look at him even if he was looking ahead. "And you, Neji, ever the silent one, huh?" she retorted. He smirked, and she could see it all the mirrors.

"Of course you would think that way. You were the concertmaster of our chamber orchestra, accepted into Stanford, fastest girl on our cross country team, second fastest of them all, except for Lee. Well," Neji said thoughtfully, "speed wise, when we calculate things like this, for example, fastest mile time, Lee is out of the equation. See, because you have a different mindset than all those other girls out there, the warrior instead of the princess, maybe you'll really change our society." She smiled self-consciously down at her lap.

"Well, it's October now, and we're both twenty-three. A lot must have happened between those five years. We kind of opened up two nights ago, but we didn't really go down that much." Tenten leaned her cheek against her hand, elbow perched precariously near the window. "Well, I'm going to start off by asking, it's been three years since we both had our twentieth birthday. Right off the bat, I'm just going to ask, have you ever, you know, consumed any alcohol since then?"

Neji smirked and exited the freeway. "You mean, have I ever gotten drunk?"

"If you take it that way, I guess you could say that."

"Once."

"Oh yeah? When?"

"Do you really expect any party of Naruto's to have no alcoholic beverages?" She laughed in response. "I haven't really been to any of his parties in a long time. I mean, Sakura has. They were friends ever since they could walk or talk. I was just there, always busy with school or performances or practice or whatnot. To be honest, I haven't really been any parties at all since that graduation party Ino threw."

"Then have you ever, as you would say, consumed any alcohol up to the point that you would be considered drunk?"

"Confession time: yes. Well, there was this one time when Sasuke came over and convinced Sakura to pull a prank when they gave me this spiked drink, and I, under the pretense it was water, downed the whole thing and I think I passed out later, I don't remember. But I vomited a lot later on." Neji laughed, a clear ringing tone that bounced off the roof and the windows of the car. He pulled up in a parking lot outside a ramen shop.

"Neji, are you serious?"

"With you, I can never be sure, but yes, I think I'm pretty serious now."

"Are you kidding me? Ichiraku's? Are you serious? Besides, I just ate ramen for dinner last night! Well, instant ramen, but again?"

"You've asked me that a few times now, and I said, yes, I'm serious and no, I'm not kidding you." He dragged her inside. "I'm pretty sure you're hungry. Don't pretend you don't want to enter the best ramen place in this city." She succumbed to his grasp and let him pull her in. It was inarguable that Ichiraku's was undoubtedly the best.

And it was no surprise to either of them when they encountered no one other than Uzumaki Naruto slurping up noodles in pleasure one table down.

"Oh, hi guys!" he spluttered through a mouthful of pork and soup. "Man, it's been forever since any of us from back in the day have actually seen each other in real life and not online or through social media! Well," he wiped his mouth with a napkin, "except for you Tenten, I come over pretty often because of Sasuke-teme and Sakura, and you live with Sakura and Neji here lives with Sasuke, so…" He finished the rest of his ramen with a content sigh.

"Well, I'm off! I'm going to tell Sasuke-teme he owes me five hundred yen. I'd hate to bother him at work, but it's my day off and he bet that you guys were talking about business and performances and stuff and not actually on a date! Wow, those rumors in high school were true, were they dattebayo? See you around!" He slapped a few bills down on the table and sped out the door while Neji fumed silently and Tenten's cheeks flamed in response.

"One thing's certain," Tenten said nonchalantly. "He's literally exactly the same." Neji grunted a "Hn" which Tenten took as agreement. She turned to look at him, placing her elbows on the table and and her chin on the top of her hands. "And you, do you think you're the same? Did time take a toll on you?"

Neji placed an order of two miso ramens before looking at her with an amused expression on his face. "'Time is a thief.' Well, maybe I can say I have an efficient and effective security system." Tenten snorted in laughter. "That's why no one can get in. You're so carefully guarded. Maybe you should let some of those guards take a break once in a while, huh?"

"Some people can get in and others can't." Neji's pearly eyes bore into her, though not unpleasantly. Tenten leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. "I'll say," she replied, smiling slightly. He just closed his eyes and placed his arms on the table.

"So," Tenten asked a few minutes later after their ramen was placed, steaming, in front of them, "do you have any goals or dreams for the future?" She sipped at her soup while searching his face for an answer. He spoke up after swallowing.

"I wanted to get back together with someone. Get back in touch with them just like before." Tenten's heart clenched unwillingly in her chest, as she made some quick conclusions. _Another woman. No, it can't be, he said he hadn't found the right person yet. But it could mean that there was someone before, someone that didn't just didn't click. _She cocked her head outwardly while inwardly debating with herself. _It's not my duty to jump to conclusions about others' business. Just let him continue searching._ "Is that all?" she asked, pulling her eyebrows together.

"Being an accompanist can't get me too far in the music industry. I really want a chance to perform solo. To say," he smirked, "more along the lines of what you do." She smiled knowingly to herself. No matter how humble or arrogant a person was, they always wanted a bit of glory to themselves.

"Have you ever tried working it out? Have you ever even had an opportunity to perform as a soloist?" Tenten finished her ramen and set her chopsticks aside.

"If I were to perform as a soloist on the piano, then my accompaniment would have to be a symphonic orchestra. I haven't really ever had the chance to perform with an entire symphony. Much like you, I'd say." Tenten flushed slightly under his gaze. "I know that. I've been trying to work my way around that. My manager has been trying to find a chance for me to perform with a symphony. It hasn't quite worked out yet." She closed her eyes. "I do like to perform, so I savor every chance I get."

"And you get a lot, don't you?" Neji drummed his fingers on the table. "You said you perform a lot at small venues and such. I don't get much performing chances, solo wise. Many accompaniment requests and no solo."

"Have you ever tried picking up your violin again, Neji?"

His eyes turned steely and hard after her words. "Seeing as how well received violinists are by the public, I would have a lot of competition. Especially," he stopped tapping his fingers, "with someone who beat me in a high school audition." Tenten sighed in resignation. "That spot was supposed to be yours. I was supposed to be in your spot, being grateful that I landed in the first violin section at all, being proud of my best friend for his accomplishment of becoming the concertmaster of the chamber orchestra. You were supposed to receive glory, receive requests as a solo artists, launch off your career in a better way and get farther than me."

"The conductor judged you and deemed you capable. That honor did good to your self esteem. It motivated you and helped you believe that you could do great things. You aspired for yourself and came to where you are today." He set down his chopsticks too. "If anyone deserves fame or glory or a full orchestra, no doubt it would be you."

"And what about you? You are a capable musician, an artist. Music speaks for both of us. And if the public saw me and embraced me for my voice in music, they should take you into their arms, for not only are you good with your own voice in speaking actual words, but even more capable with your violin in hand or the piano keys under your fingers. They should see that there are people other than me that can express themselves through music as if it were second nature. You deserve it just as much as I. And seeing this, I swear, we will complete and achieve your dream together. Not just reach your goal but soar beyond. That is a promise."

He smiled, something that would've made girls swoon at his feet and made Tenten's heart skip a beat. "Thank you. If it means so much to you, we will complete both of our dreams together. But for now, let's take care of our lunch bill."

She grinned back at him. "Let's split it. I already said I'd pay for my share. Why ever would you want to pay for mine?"

Neji chuckled under his breath as he slapped down a wad of bills. "As you say," he replied as Tenten laughed and smacked her share of the bill down on the table.


	5. Chapter 5

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of these characters (sadly). All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto._**

_Hi, guys! Another update today :) I would like to thank everyone (even though there aren't too many of you guys) that has taken the time to read this story and review and favorite or follow or whatnot. Every review (no matter how few I get) is very meaningful to me because it tells me that at least one person out there enjoys my writing. Every single review encourages me, so thank you so much for all those people who read from the very beginning of this story. If you like my writing, check out my other stories! (shameless self-advertising) I told you it gets better :D_

_Well, only a few more Naruto chapters left :( It's saddening for all of us, I think. I haven't even been alive long enough to be with Naruto from the very beginning, but all that matters is that we stay with him until the very end, right?_

_Remember to review and follow/favorite if you want more!_

"It is a nice change to actually do something most people our age would be doing instead of practicing for hours at home," Tenten remarked nonchalantly, getting into Neji's car's passenger seat. Neji smirked from the driver's seat, revving up the engine. "You say it like practicing is a bad thing, do you?"

Tenten flushed a little in her seat. "It's not. I love practicing, as weird as it may sound."

"Well, you're a musician. To an amateur, that would seem out of place, but for you, that seems perfectly normal." Neji backed out of the parking lot and onto the main road. Tenten laughed, hazel eyes sparkling with vigor. He had missed her laugh after all this time.

"Before a major performance, I would practice until my fingers fled. Then, I'd put on some medicine and such from Sakura, and after a couple minutes, when the pain ebbs away and it doesn't bother me as much, I pick up my violin again."

"Ever the practice freak. Your perfect pitch and intonation still impresses me to this day. Even if last night was the first time I heard you on your violin in many years, your prowess with your nimble fingers and fluent bow can really inspire a lot of younger players." Tenten tried to seem humble by casting her eyes downward, but failed to dim the triumphant gleam in her eyes. It was rare that Neji compliment anyone, friend or foe. "Thanks. Though you shouldn't be talking. Seeing as the piano is what got you into Juilliard, your violin skills stand at an equal point. As if I am the practice freak."

"I'm not sure if my violin prowess is up to date. I haven't really picked it up and played through an actual piece, solo or orchestral, for a long time. I'm a bit rusty on my hinges. Give it another five years on the violin, and maybe what you said could be true."

"You'd probably still be amazing after all this time. You're a bloody genius, almost no work and you'd get somewhere far. I worked and shed sweat and blood, literally, to get myself to where I am now. You always got everything really quickly, picking up on things with a mere few minutes of listening or observation. You've got it easy. Maybe not easy, but easier than most." Tenten sighed a little and stole a sideways glance at Neji.

"And that's what makes your accomplishments mean more. That you worked so hard to get to your place. And that is exactly why you deserve everything you have. And yes, you deserved the honor of concertmaster. Nobody in our orchestra worked as much or as hard or as diligently as you. The conductor realized it. And look where that has gotten you. I'm just an accompanist, in my downtime, I really don't do much, while you practice so hard and so long and I'm here reminiscing about the past and what could have been." He braked at a red light and drummed his fingers along the steering wheel.

Tenten was quiet, not knowing what to say, obviously still not as eloquent in her speech as the man next to her. The silence was kind of suffocating her, so she opened her mouth again, changing the subject rather abruptly. "So, where are you taking me? I hardly expect you to be taking me home so early. What kind of date ends in an hour or less, Neji? I'm sure you had more than enough experience on these excursions. I have never been in a relationship. I'm just trusting your initiative and your own actions and thoughts at this point, speaking from an inexperienced person's point of view."

He lightly laughed from the driver's seat, moving forward as the light turned green. "How would you feel about a movie?" She smiled at him. "That's fine with me. As long as it's not the one about planes, then I'm fine." His pearly eyes crinkled up at the corners slightly as he laughed again.

The cinema wasn't packed, in fact, it was nearly empty, as most people were at work. Neji suggested a movie about a woman named Lucy, hearing from both Sasuke and Sakura that it was decent enough. They exited the ticket booth with tickets in hand (Tenten buying her own) and walked to the corresponding theater, popcorn and soda in hand.

The theater was almost empty except for about ten to fifteen people reclining in their chairs and gobbling down popcorn as if they hadn't eaten in days. Even under the dim lighting, Tenten could make out Neji eying them in scorn and disapproval. She laughed slightly at him and pushed him forward with a hand on the small of his back.

The theater went quiet as the film began to roll. Tenten reclined slightly in her chair while Neji drummed his fingers on the armrests. The screen exploded in a flash of color, signalling the beginning of the movie. Tenten smiled to herself.

The movie was decent, and Tenten could obviously see why Sasuke had taken a liking to this sort of movie. Violence combined with bouts of science fiction. She enjoyed it, getting to do something outside of practicing or performing. It was a normal thing to do, to watch movies or go shopping or eat out at all, but her career denied all that. And when Neji, being ever so polite, asked her to dinner, she couldn't refuse.

He ended up taking her to a restaurant not overly fancy, and she was secretly relieved, not ready to endure the glares of other diners if she walked in dressed the way she was. It was a contemporary Japanese and Western fusion restaurant, unlike all the traditional bars and such they passed along the way. It seemed fitting that young people like them would eat in a more modern atmosphere.

"So, then," Tenten refrained from propping her legs up on the table, especially in public, or so she chided herself. She sipped at her water nonchalantly after they placed their orders with a odd and very pale man, complete with a creepy and seemingly fake smile, who called himself Sai. Neji had frowned at his back for two minutes while he took other orders until the waiter disappeared behind a door to the kitchen.

"Did you enjoy yourself today?" Neji asked first, spinning his straw idly around the cup, making the ice cubes bump together in a tinkling harmony. Tenten let the corners of her mouth turn up. It was rare that Neji would be the first to induce a conversation, let alone in a complete sentence. She would take time to savor this moment. There was a first for everything.

"Thank you for everything. It's such a nice change though. Usually, at this time, I'd be eating instant ramen with Sakura after a performance. We just have no talent in the area of culinary arts." She laughed at herself. "We just haven't got time to invest ourselves in what most people consider hobbies. Sakura's a doctor, her job isn't all sunshine and rainbows. I'm a performer, a musician, an artist, and my day's packed, not just my evenings. Every little thing like going out to eat or meeting up with an old friend or just seeing someone you know in an unexpected place, they all make me feel like I'm on vacation. So when I do get the chance to go on trips, local or far away, it's like a rope connecting me to reality is chopped off."

Neji hadn't said anything the entire time, just sitting and drinking water and regarding her with eyes like crystal orbs. He spoke up after half a minute of silence. "No, thank you for opening the world up for me again, opening my eyes up again, to see new opportunities and new roads. I would like to find an opening for a concert pianist in the future, where I can perform as a soloist instead of always a requested piano accompanist. At least once. And if staying an accompanist is my fate, I shall work to defy it."

Tenten shot him a truly glad smile. "Not too hung up over the fate thing now, huh? Naruto is sure a good persuasive speaker. What is it that you did, top student, twisting his arm once the school day was over?" Neji clenched his teeth in guilt at the memory. "You left him with a broken body, and he left you with a broken ego. And with that broken pride, he opened your eyes just a bit wider. It is not all that much wider, but it is a lot easier to see now, isn't it?"

Neji casted his eyes down and smirked, a feature that would normally twist someone's face into something gruesome and wicked looking, but it only enhanced how good he looked, something that hadn't changed since they were teenagers. Just by standing in one place, like a shepherd in a flock of sheep, girls would be attracted to him as if by a magnetic force. Tenten hated them, they were such _girls_, so shallow and vain, drawn to a person by outer appearance. She was the main reason that Neji actually had a clear path to class. Without her shooing them away and threatening them (never actually meaning it, but they, being the narrow minded people they were, took it seriously), Neji would've had a crowded hallway of screaming girls to wade through.

"He is really something, isn't he," he said in reply. Tenten smiled back at him, now eying the waiter (Sai once again, with that haunting smile that made her shudder a bit) as he arrived with their food. She expressed her thanks as Neji nodded in a show of acknowledgement. They snapped their chopsticks apart ("Itadakimasu!") and reached for the tastefully arranged delicacies in front of them.

They conversed the entire time, barely noticing the clock ticking by. Once their food was done, they continued talking, not paying heed to the scraping of chairs of customers leaving, the jingle of coins or the rustle of paper bills. It was just them in their own world, now not as narrow as the strings of her violin and the keys of his piano, wider than the spectrum of classical music, more elaborate than the hours spent practicing until their fingers bled and their heads hurt and their breathing became ragged.

Not until the manager barked at them irritatedly that Tenten slapped her half of the bill onto the table while Neji flung some bills onto the table grumpily. Why separate two people getting to know each other more in depth after years of acquaintance and friendship? Tenten did not restrain herself as she slammed the restaurant's door shut.

The city lights illuminated the night sky like beads of diamonds on a chandelier. Cars rushed on and off the highways, a string of flashing lights and squeaking wheels. The night breeze whistled around their ears like whispers of phantoms. Tenten walked with her hands in her pockets to Neji's car, sneakers making screeching noises against the asphalt of the parking lot. Neji smiled to himself at its familiarity (Tenten was always like that in the hallways, dreading cross-country not because of the work load but the volume of their coach's, Gai, voice. She would slouch off after school to the field as Neji went to take Hinata to Naruto's house because he needed tutoring.).

She fluidly slid into the passenger seat of the car, pulling the door shut behind her. Neji climbed in, inserting the key and starting the engine. "Thanks for taking me so many places today. I'm a bit of a talker sometimes when there are no restrictions on rambling on everything on my mind." Neji looked at her and tilted one side of his mouth up. "I'm a good listener. It's good to hear someone talking, not always the piano keys or a violin's strings."

"That's true. I'm alone most of the day except for Kiba sometimes dropping by to pig out in my pantry or Lee trying to convince me to start a proper exercise regime." Neji laughed silently in his seat as he swerved onto the highway.

"How's Sasuke nowadays? Still working at that law firm? That's what Sakura told me a couple years ago."

"He's got a job as a sort of accountant in one of the towers in the heart of the city. Pretty busy, never gets back home earlier than eight or eight thirty at night and he gets there around six or six thirty in the morning." Tenten whistled in mock shock and praise. "What a hard working lad, huh. Sakura's pretty busy, she doesn't stay an entire day at the hospital but she treats a lot of patients everyday. She's really a talented woman. I remember when she was this little girl with a mop of bubblegum pink who couldn't do a thing. See what we have become now. All of us. We've changed, haven't we."

Neji took an exit off the highway, stopping gradually at a red light. "Not just see what we have become. It's most important to see, who have you become."

She smiled at him and closed her eyes. "I honestly didn't think I'd get this far. But now I have, all I want to do is get further. And you should aspire to do that too. Yeah, a solo opportunity is a pretty big leap into your career. Aspire to get to a great concert hall, like Carnegie in New York, and you'll get to your first goal faster."

Neji smirked from the steering wheel, revving the engine as the light turned green. He took a left at the intersection toward the direction of Tenten's flat. "That's a large jump and a great challenge, not only being good enough to perform solo around locally, but to be skilled enough to be requested by Carnegie Hall."

"If you have the guts to never give up dattebayo," said Tenten in an impression of a certain Uzumaki Naruto, although not unkindly. Neji gave a snort of laughter as he turned onto Tenten's street. He pulled up into her driveway and parked the car. Neji looked perplexed when she didn't get out of the car, though he arranged his features into a stoic facade immediately. She twisted her hands together, awkwardness becoming the two who were just starting to loosen up in the presence of the other.

"Um, thank you so much for today, Neji," Tenten said at last when the silence was burning her lungs. He murmured a "hn" as a show of his listening. Before she could lose any more of her composure, her newfound confidence, she leaned over and pressed her lips to his cheek swiftly and prepared to get out of the car before he could catch a glimpse of her flushed face.

"That's not how you do it." Tenten stopped as one of her feet were out of the car. She twisted in her current position, no matter how awkward at the moment, turning to look at Neji in confusion. He reached an arm to pull her back into the passenger seat, and he was kissing her, with gentle certainty.

And she swore all of time stopped.

It wasn't like what people considered an electric spark, or a burning fire, or sparkling fireworks. It was like holding onto a rock in the middle of a rushing tide; if she let go, she would have been swept away.

And when they broke apart for more oxygen, it wasn't a painful burning in her lungs but a sort of aching pleasure. He smirked and waved slightly before pulling out of the driveway toward his own home.

She didn't stop smiling the entire night, and Sakura didn't question it. She didn't have to. The signs were evident.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **_

_Gah I haven't updated O_o. NARUTO'S ENDING WHAT IS LIFE._

_Conflict coming up. I promise it's not boring. If you persist and read this and like this, please drop a review or favorite/follow! It really does mean a lot to me. If you like this style, check out my other stories (shameless self-advertising). Enjoy!_

His cousin tapped his shoulder timidly, and he swiveled around to face her. "There will be misunderstandings," she said, her voice slightly wavering. "It will be up to you to clear it up when it is your fault." He breathed out in acknowledgement, fingering the ring on the wooden desk, spinning it around his finger and shuddering the table in vibrations. "I know. But this is something I can't let go. This is a relic of the past. Even if your father always tries to convince me to throw it out, I know it changed his life too."

His cousin smiled and patted him on the back in a sisterly gesture. "Don't just tell me. Make sure to tell her as soon as possible."

He smiled slightly to himself just at the thought of her. "I understand."

~X~

"Try to see both sides. If you don't expand your vision to different perspectives of the same situation, it's not going to end cleanly." The pink haired woman tapped her fingers on the wooden table.

"I've always been approached as a narrow-minded person. I think being with him could open up my eyes a little though."

"There will be dilemmas and misunderstandings. Sometimes you need to take it in your own hands. You can't practice for that when it comes along. It's not like a big performance. It's not like recording a CD. You can't change it later."

"I know the road isn't easy. When you're hurt, you can bandage it, but it won't heal quickly, and sometimes it scars. I'll have to extend my vision to all sides of the spectrum.

"I'm ready when it's not smooth. I'll take the wheel from his hands instead."

~X~

Tenten's phone buzzed on the table, vibrating the glass top. She picked it up after seeing the caller ID, her manager.

"Hello?"

"Great news for you, Tenten. You've been recognized as a breakthrough artist by some sort of magazine and they've requested you do a tour in two months. It'll be around the country. Isn't that something?" Her heart banged at her ribcage, and it took her a few minutes to calm down before breathily replying.

"That's great, really! I guess this is the time to say that I'm really honored. Thank you for arranging all this. Is it a solo tour for me with different orchestras or…?"

"I think this time, we're going to try something different."

"What do you mean by that?" Her brows furrowed together as she clutched her phone tighter. Her manager was unpredictable. Different could either mean amazing or terrible.

"It'll be a duo. A violin-piano duo. Don't worry about the pianist. I've found someone suitable enough for you." She clenched her teeth. If only…

"You know, that's fine. I already have someone in mind." _I won't work with someone I don't know. Neji…_

"Oh, I'm sure you're talking about the same person. He's coming by soon to meet up. I've got another call on the line. I'll talk to you later." He hung up immediately, and Tenten scowled. She debated calling him back to demand the piano accompanist from the recital a couple months ago (Neji, of course. She would make sure her success was his and vice versa).

The doorbell chimed, making her jump from the table in a panic. She walked through the hallway to the doorway. If Sakura was at home, the pink-haired woman would have opened the door and given the visitor a good beating in anger that she nearly got a heart attack, whether she knew the visitor personally or not, friend or foe.

She swung the door open, and Neji was standing there, arms crossed, a small smirk on his face. "What brings you here?"

He walked in without hesitation and wrapped his arms around her in a way of greeting. "Guess who's going on tour with you in two months?"

She smiled to herself. _Maybe I won't beat up my manager. _"Well, he must be better than you." Neji's smirk grew wider, bordering on the edge of a lopsided smile. "We'll see in a bit, huh?"

"Yeah, I'll say." She reached around the couch to pick up her violin case. She motioned to the piano by the window, clearly in a gesture that he should sit on the bench. "Do you have the program for the tour?"

"It's the same for every city we're in, so it's unnecessary to learn an overwhelming amount of repertoire. The program is also the exact same order for every destination, so if we do any informal or formal rehearsals, we know what to expect, and it's easier to do a clean program in one run.

"If you object to any, just contact your manager, and we'll find a solution. You haven't played any of them before because you were taught to be a solo artist, but they shouldn't be impossibly difficult.

"First is the Schumann Violin and Piano Sonata in a minor No. 1. I doubt you have never heard it before. Next is the Beethoven Violin Sonata No. 5, Op. 24, or "Spring." Last is the Stravinsky Duo Concertante. They are challenging but not impossible. With enough practice, which I'm sure you are quite familiar with, I can guarantee a clean performance."

She nodded. Despite their relationship status, they knew when it was time to conduct a serious and business-like atmosphere. Neji's eyes were cold (not a frigid, icy glare, but a kind of cool essence of elegance) as he wordlessly handed her the music. Her dark amber eyes roved the score, brows furrowed and mouth set into a thin line in concentration. It was different in the way how her part tied in with an equally important piano part, but, she thought as she put the music down on her stand, it was nice to try something different, out of her comfort zone.

"I assure you that neither one of us has ever tried playing through yet at this point. We have two months to prepare. It's October now, and we have to get through this by the time it hits December. Let's start sight-reading the Schumann." Neji adjusted the bench at the piano and lifted the top of the grand piano. Dust rose up in a cloud, and Neji emerged from it, coughing, wisps of dust decorating his long hair. Tenten had to stifle her mirth as his eyes narrowed slightly in annoyance. "When was the last time this was used?"

"A while ago. I'm sure it's in tune though. If it's not, I'll just call one over." Tenten snapped her case shut and took out her violin. Neji gingerly played a simple scale, shrugging slightly in satisfaction. She attached the shoulder rest and took out her bow. Neji watched her silently as she tightened her bow and took out a tuner.

"You've got a new instrument," he remarked, and she looked over her shoulder at him, stopping in the process of applying rosin. She continued after a second's pause. "It's been five years. When you get better, your instrument should too." He smirked.

"You could say that. I have a Steinway music room grand at home." Tenten put the tuner on the stand, moving aside the metronome that was there before. "Then you should be pretty excited to play on a Steinway concert grand when we go on tour."

Neji smirked to himself and crossed his arms as Tenten started to tune. A few minutes later, when she was finished, he replied, "You have no idea."

In a few minutes, the flat was filled with the sound of singing keys and dancing strings, a flowing melody sounding like a rushing river. Music obscured their vision as it took over their minds. Sinking so deep into something that most people viewed as an abstract form was the deepest form of connection anyone could have.

They couldn't stop smiling at the prospect of working together again, but this time, as equals. And, she thought, her manager was right. It was time to do something different.

~X~

Evening settled the skies, painting the recently azure sky into a palette of fiery oranges and rosy shades of red, the sun illuminating the horizon in the last few minutes of the day, a day that Tenten wished went by more slowly, increasing the time she spent with a certain white-eyed young man.

They achieved a lot through a few hours, getting the pieces nearly without any bumps or stutters. And it was nice to see each other as equals, in a new light. She was slightly disappointed when it was time to pack up her case and wipe her violin, as well as his turn to pull the cover over the keys and shutting the top board. She wanted him to stay longer, not just for rehearsal purposes (_Besides, _she thought_, Sakura has to work late tonight at the hospital._). But Neji brought it up first.

"Up for a nicer dinner?" He had his jacket slung over his shoulder, eyes expectant and mouth, yet again, set in his infamous smirk, which had such an effect on dewy eyed high school girls so that they would nearly faint at the sight. She smiled up at him in reply, dark hazel eyes shining with suppressed mirth. "I have to be honest that I haven't exactly been looking for another night of takeout." He smiled slightly, the fading sunlight outside making his face glow in ethereal light. "Let's go then. Call Sakura first. I'll wait in the driveway."

"Yeah, I'll be right there." He walked outside and put on his shoes, pointing his keys to the car. Tenten heard the chirps when the car unlocked and the sound of the engine revving up. She looked down at her cell phone and quickly dialed Sakura's number.

Sakura answered after a few moments. "You know I'm working late tonight, and Sasuke is also. We are both going to be done around 9:00. He said he'll take me out. Don't worry about it!"

"What a coincidence. I'm going out for dinner too. My manager notified me about an upcoming tour around the country he's arranged, and it's a duo tour. I'm working with Neji on it, so he came over for rehearsal. He's taking me out. I'll probably be back home before you. I have to go now; he's waiting for me outside. I'll see you later."

"Have fun, lovebirds." Tenten scowled goodnaturedly at the screen and hung up. She locked the door behind her and headed out. Neji was sitting in the driver's seat, absentmindedly "playing" the Beethoven sonata on the dashboard without a keyboard. He looked up when she closed the car door after getting into the passenger seat.

"Where too?" He smirked. "You know this place as well as I do. How do you feel about seeing Sai again?" Tenten scowled again but not in disappointment. He leaned over to kiss her on the cheek, and she chuckled slightly as his hair tickled her neck. "Yeah, sure, that's fine. At least it's not instant ramen."

~X~

The sky was like ink when they left. The city lights flickered like fireflies atop soaring towers that prickled the sky. Tokyo was still busy at night, cars flashing from place to place, rushing past each other on the bustling highway. Headlights and tail lights illuminated the roads. A typical city night.

Neji was right. She did catch another glimpse of Sai, moving around tables like an expressionless ghost. When he was encountered by other customers, he always plastered on the fake smile, creepy and unnatural, enhancing his appearance as some sort of phantom haunting the place. Not that she had anything against him, but she sometimes had to physically repress the urge to shudder. When she had told Neji about her slight phobia of the waiter, he had laughed silently to himself when he exited the highway and braked at a red light. He had said, "Do you always picture him as some sort of slimy and creepy stalker?"

She had replied, "Not a stalker, perhaps, but maybe slightly a transparent sort of phantom pedophile." Neji laughed again at this point, then quickly stopped, directing his focus to the road ahead. He turned into her neighborhood, headlights seemingly paving a path for them in the darkness.

Neji pulled up onto the driveway of her flat. Tenten noticed that Sakura wasn't back yet, seeing as she was working later tonight. She got out of the car and fumbled slightly with her keys before retracting the one to the flat. Neji got out as well, seemingly in a gesture of seeing her off before leaving. In the doorway, she smiled at him in gratitude. "Thanks for tonight, and thanks for staying those hours for rehearsal. I don't think I really have deemed myself capable of accomplishing that much in a few hours' worth."

Neji smirked and shoved his hands into his pockets. "It's nice working with you again."

"Yeah, it is. It's different from being a soloist. It's time to hear our new voices." His smirk stretched a little wider, and he leaned in to kiss her, his hand perched gently but firmly on her shoulder. "I'll see if I can come around tomorrow. Or," he paused slightly, "you can come over to my place. I'll pick you up sometime in the afternoon. I'll call beforehand to make sure."

Tenten's smile seemed to shine in the darkness, face bathed in a golden glow from the porch light. "That's fine with me." She reached out to wrap her arms around his middle, and he settled his arms around her waist in response. He pressed his smirk into her temple, and her whole body vibrated when he replied, "See you soon."

She found herself still waving toward the direction of his car soon after its silhouette disappeared into the shadows.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, Neji would be alive and well.**_

_Hi guys! Sorry I haven't updated :( School is so busy right now. But, Thanksgiving is next week, and because I might not even update before then, Happy Thanksgiving! _

_Yes, Naruto ended two weeks ago, which I am still kind of depressed about. I just really am sick of the NaruSaku shippers who started a hashtag #fixnaruto and want to ban Naruto because their ship didn't get together. I just want to tell them to #fixtheirattitude. Kishimoto spent 15 years, beautiful 15 years to dedicate his life to writing this for us. How are you a true Naruto fan if you can't embrace what he has written and appreciate the legacy he left? _

_Anyway, enough of that super short rant. Please review and favorite/follow if you want more! I told you it would be interesting :) If you like this style or if you like my writing, check out the other pieces I did. Every review means a lot to me :) Enjoy!_

Tenten was greeted in the morning with a tousle-haired Sakura with dark circles under her eyes. "Looks like you had a rough night," Tenten remarked, pouring herself a cup of coffee. Steam rose in spirals in front of her face.

Sakura groaned in annoyance and fatigue. "Tsunade-sama isn't letting me off easily this month. She said she would give me a raise if I work late hours everyday for the rest of the month. I still can't choose between my sleep and my raise. As if last month wasn't enough."

Tenten set another cup of coffee on the table, and Sakura reached over for it. The latter prompted to ask the brunette, "So, how's your 'training regime' with your 'Prince Charming'?" Tenten clutched slightly at her throat to prevent herself from choking on coffee. "What the hell? It's rehearsal. It's not too harsh; it's only been one month. It's only November. And he's just… Neji… right?"

"Well," Sakura took a bite of egg, "we all have our opinions, right?" She slammed her fork down. "Well, I've got to rush today. It seems there was an accident, and the traffic is horrible. It's still really early, but it's better safe than sorry. Again, Sasuke's taking me. We're both off late tonight."

"Yeah, sure. Even if I'm out, I'd probably be back before you. I'll see you tonight then." Sakura slid her coat off its hanger in the closet and slung it over her shoulder. "Have fun then. I'll see you later."

"I'm sure I will." Sakura dashed out in a valiant attempt to avoid later traffic. Tenten smiled at her back as the door slammed close with a bang.

Her only companion at home when Sakura was out was her violin, said object currently being taken out by Tenten in another effort to memorize the Beethoven. Memory had always been an issue with her. Just not with the important things, she thought, as Neji smirked in the back of her mind.

Sakura was chiding her frequently on how well the relationship was going, how there was no "drama" or anything yet. "When I was into this far with Sasuke, we already fought so many times!" she had said shrilly into the phone one day after a rehearsal.

"Not all of us are as dysfunctional as you two," Tenten had retorted.

Sakura had ignored her and hung up.

~X~

It was during a grueling session of struggling through memorizing the Beethoven in which Neji decided to knock on Tenten's door. She set down her violin and weaved her way around the flat to the living room, where sunlight was streaming through the windows, golden droplets reflecting off the windows.

Right after the door was unlocked, Neji invited himself in and embraced an unseriously miffed Tenten, and it was with feigned reluctance that she put her arms around him too. He set his head on top of hers for a moment of comfortable silence. After which he kissed her and whispered, "Hn. We still have some ways to go with that one."

"Not all of us can memorize things as quickly as you can."

"I stand corrected."

"Your place today though, right?"

"I was waiting for you to pack up, but you seemed too interested in correcting me to start." Tenten flushed slightly, wiped her violin, and closed her case with a resounding click. "Let's go, then. Wouldn't want to keep you waiting."

He smirked slightly but kept silent as he went out the door, Tenten following him, locking the door behind her.

~X~

The first thing she thought when entering the house was that it looked exactly the same. Or, mostly the same. Same arched ceiling, nicely painted walls, elaborate dining collections, ornate furniture, and not to mention a beautiful new Steinway grand piano. Winding staircase and glistening chandelier from all those years ago. Antique paintings adorned the wall, portraits' stone gazes seemingly following your every movement with a hawk's glare. Neji stood, still as a statue, by the doorway, a grand wooden door with a glossy finish, as he watched her take in her surroundings with her eyes.

"Hasn't changed much since I've last been here, and that was years ago."

"Hiashi-sama isn't one for abrupt changes in his environment."

"Your family and their uptightness," she said jokingly, pushing his shoulder in a relaxed manner. He put his arm around her shoulder.

"If you want to stick with me, you have to learn to deal with my family as well."

"I know that. I'm just stating it outright out loud first so that I know not just in my mind, but my ears know too. You see, as a musician, I have to hear everything out loud, not in my head. It's how I learn and perceive everything."

"It really does seem like you have a lot to say today."

"I speak my mind. I need to hear my thoughts."

"If you insist. Why don't you unpack first? I'll be right back." Tenten disappeared behind another grand arch into the music room. Neji waited until she closed the door to peer behind the arch behind him.

"You can come out behind the door, I'm sure she'd want to meet you two." A young girl, no older than 16 or 17 popped out behind the arch in a wild flick of hair as the girl behind her, closer to Neji's age, shuffled out timidly.

"Nii-san has a girlfriend. Nee-chan, isn't that right? You saw them! I wonder if practice is all they-"

"Hanabi, that isn't polite," Hinata said in a slight reprimanding fashion to her younger sister. "Neji nii-san, I'm really not sure she'd want to. I haven't seen her in five years, either. And all she remembers of Hanabi was a little girl in middle school. I- I really think that you- you would be embarrassed by us."

"It's fine. You were friends with her, were you not?"

"Speaking of friends and trust, Neji nii-san, you have yet to tell her what you need to tell." Neji's pearly eyes hardened slightly, hair falling in front of them to shield his gaze. "I understand."

"So, nii-san's got a secret?"

"Hanabi, go away."

~X~

"You took some time for you to be 'right back'," Tenten joked feebly as Neji closed the door behind him with a click. He grunted slightly as he sat down on the piano bench. "My cousins have a tendency to probe and pry with questions." He nimbly played a scale up and down on the piano, the sound vibrating off the walls and ringing with the delicacy of a crystal wine glass. "Have you tuned?" Tenten nodded in assent.

With only a look as their communication, they started their practice, the notes dancing off their strings, their fingers. They filled the room with a sort of delicate fragility, almost as if they were going to break. And so they were in their little world, the small world they called their own, in the music room, their ears ringing with sounds of fire and earth, water and air. Stories unwinded and tales retold through sound and not coherent words. Her violin sang, and the piano sang with her.

The kind of words that they've been trying to say. In a world where they can only whisper or not yet speak with eloquence, music flowed through their veins with the words they have yet to speak out. Through music did they find their new voices.

It was without any break between the pieces, no stops, that they played throughout the afternoon and into the evening, until the sky was painted red with the hues of the sun's rays. They didn't stop talking to each other for the entire day. Yet they never spoke a word. It was with this understanding that people truly believed that they were in love.

It was very late into the night that Tenten glanced at Neji, who nodded with assent, and started packing up. The stars had waved goodbye to the sun, and the moon began its reign over the bustling nightlife of Tokyo. The moon was full that night, an orb just like the eyes that stared at her from Neji's face.

It was then that Neji uttered the first word anyone of them had spoken in a long time. "You finish cleaning up. Tell me when you're done. I'll be upstairs." He smiled a little and closed the door soundly behind him. Tenten could hear his footsteps as they neared the stairs. She smiled at the closed door and continued wiping her violin like a mother with a child.

~X~

"The concert isn't in too long." Hinata stood behind his chair as Neji fingered the ring yet again. "Before you know it, it'll be too late for anything." He took in her reply without a sound or reply.

"I wished she could see this, me finally performing on a tour. I realized I loved her too long after she left." He rolled the ring around his fingers. The silver reflected off the desk lamp and cast a beautiful silver streak on the wooden desk.

"If you keep using this as a resort, Tenten will get the wrong idea. There will be misunderstandings." Hinata gripped the back of Neji's chair more tightly. "I don't want to be the one to tell her anything. It should be you. This is the only time that I will ever be telling you advice, but you need to be telling her this yourself, before something else crops up along the way."

"I will. The time will come." He let out a deep breath and let the ring roll around the table in a perfect circle, his opalescent eyes following its cycle. Hinata sighed from where she was. "That time will never come if you keep hold it off like this." She closed the door as she heard Hanabi making yet another ruckus downstairs. "This is important to you, but not in that way. Not the way that most people would interpret it as. It is time for you to tell her that it isn't, this isn't what she would think, not would anyone would think, this priceless treasure."

Neji closed his eyes before opening them again, revealing in a vacant expression with the face of a person lost in a memory. He wasn't, however; he couldn't remember anything at the moment, and he could never remember anything at all. It was too long ago. He remembered the aching pain from the past. He never really knew her, he thought to himself. No one really knew who she really was. And yet, he knew she loved him, and he loved her. She was gone before he could really see her for who she was. And yet, she was such a prominent figure in his life. How he never truly knew her, he did not know.

"Your mother's, wasn't it," Hinata whispered into the looming silence. "My aunt." Neji nodded, his head moving slightly up and down. After his father's death, she locked herself up for long hours at a time, never coming out of her room unless she absolutely needed something for herself. She became part of the background. She passed not too long after, haunted by grief, depression and anxiety. Neji knew he loved his mother, but she drew her past self into the depths of her depression, a shell of what she used to be. He did not know her for long enough to see just exactly what kind of a person she was. Even when she was alive, he didn't know much about her, her preferences, her family history, her side of the family, her personality. She was almost like a paper figure labeled with the word "mother".

"That's what you meant," Hinata said. "Finding someone, you had said. Information about your mother, was it not? That's why you came back to Tokyo." He made no reply, but his still form was an obvious sign for the word, "yes". Ever since he had come back, he was always seemingly preoccupied, until Tenten came. Neji became, not less serious, but more open. Tenten had a presence like eternal sunshine. She would stay until you became a more open and welcoming person.

"This ring itself won't get you anywhere," Hinata said firmly. "I suggest that you discard it before it -"

It was with a slam of his palm on the desk that interrupted his cousin. She faded back into her timid self as she pressed herself into the corner of the wall. There was the sound of footsteps up the stairs, but Neji didn't care. And the words he spoke next were louder than she had ever heard him speak.

"No. Absolutely not. This, this, is the gateway to her. The mystery she had become." His hand shook on the table, fingers trembling. "I LOVED HER. SHE LEFT ME. ALL I HAD LEFT IS THIS. I LOVED HER, AND SHE LOVED ME. SHE LEFT BEFORE I COULD SAY GOODBYE!" They did not hear the door open in his anguish, where a shocked Tenten stood with mouth agape. And that was when he truly understood what Hinata meant by a misunderstanding. Tenten turned around sharply and clamored down the stairs with her violin as quickly as she could without damaging her instrument.

"Go after her." Neji didn't need telling twice as he raced down the stairs, heart pounding in his throat, hair covering his eyes, feet slipping underneath him. He found her by the door, angry tears in her eyes. He reached out a hand, which he forcefully slapped away.

"It's not what it-"

"And if it is?" She retorted back angrily. "Oh, yes, I remember all those weeks ago, you telling me you were searching for someone. It was her, was it not? And what have you been doing with me these weeks?"

"It's not someone like that-" He struggled for the right words, knowing he wasn't as eloquent in speech as music. But, in this situation, there was no time to be groping for the right words.

"And it's not my business if she is or isn't!" Tenten took a step back, brows furrowed, eyes narrowed. "It's that you didn't trust me enough to tell me beforehand! What is it with you, barricading yourself? I've been working so hard to get back to you since we were in high school, to be just as good friends. And in this attempt, you've locked yourself up more. Chasing down the past when what mattered was your trust, in the present. If you really think that it matters whether or not it was an old friend or a past lover or some sort, it doesn't! I'm not the kind of person to be ruffled by another girl, another woman! Trust is the first step. If you haven't had the courage to smash down your walls to let someone else in, maybe it's not time for you. It's a big step, and I thought we'd do it together. If you refuse to walk toward the future, then please, be my guest, and stay in the past. I'm seeing brighter where new things can happen." She started walking away to her flat, which would be at least be a forty minute walk, but she didn't care.

Was it a break up or not, she didn't know. But it angered her that such trust did not exist in their hearts even if they could communicate in music. This was uncharted territory to them, harder for people who couldn't speak with the words they wanted.

She hoped he would come run after her.

He didn't, just watched her shadow disappear into the night.

His eyes reminded her of the moon. Cold and distant.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **_

_A bit of a short filler chapter really, but it's needed, I think. Adds to the drama :) It's kind of boring, but I liked the writing in this a bit better. Happy late Thanksgiving, again! _

_Who's excited for The Last? *raises hand* _

_Again, thank you for reading and reviewing (for those few people out there)! Remember to follow/favorite if you want more, and reviews are appreciated! I hope you enjoy!_

It rained the next day.

It wasn't strange for it to be raining, for it was already near the end of November. Vibrant umbrellas protected people from the downpour, colorful parades through the streets. Many people stayed inside rather than wade through the flooding roads.

Tenten being one of them, and Neji being another. Inside, most people would be occupying themselves with activities such as playing cards, drinking coffee, or reading. They did none of the sort. They stayed in one place, and they thought.

That was all. They thought of many things. Minds brimming with things they should have said or things they should have done. Consuming themselves with themselves and confining themselves within themselves. They knew they had a lot of thinking to get done with. And with those jumbled thoughts, it was hard to think coherently and clearly.

Tenten could describe her thoughts as the eternal rain plummeting to the ground outside her window. Depressing and bleary, not able to see too far ahead, wet (were those tears? she had thought. Should I be crying?) and gloomy, shadows conquering the heavens and clouds hanging overhead like sentries on guard.

She remembered how she had got home the previous night, tired and feet blistered, violin slowing her down. And it was in her room in her flat that she found that her cheeks were wet. Eyes swollen and red, nose running (from the cold or something else, she wasn't sure). She rarely cried. She never knew whether it was appropriate to cry or not. Crying was a weakness. It showed that with you even saying your emotions out loud, it wasn't enough for you to vent. Crying was a sign of desperation, a sign of giving up. A sign of cowardice. And she wasn't a coward. She chided herself with bitter remarks about her own actions.

She had remembered the courage that she had mustered just to get into contact with Neji again, how hard it was, and she just thought that it wasn't nearly as difficult as this. It took courage to try not to cry, more courage than to just make a simple phone call.

She had remembered all those weeks ago when Neji did tell her of why he came back. _To look for someone. _Tenten had wondered about it. Occupying his mind like that, forcing him to go into that fury to that extent. She had said that the person's relationship didn't matter to her. It did in a way. This person who made him construct a carefully woven barrier around everyone, even her. She almost wanted to hurt that person for hurting Neji, who hurt her in the end as well. When she finally came to open up to him and open his doors, he slammed it shut in her face, leaving her hurt and feeling untrusted. Trust was the foundation of relationships, platonic or not, foundation of friendship and marriage and all the important bonds in life. If he could not accept that there were people of the present and the future waiting for him, then she would have to wait for him. If he never came, she would wait for him even in death.

She wondered really if she meant anything to him other than a distraction from what he wanted to find. Tenten knew that she herself wasn't the person he was really aiming for when coming back to Tokyo. Even so, it was blatant that the other person left and didn't come back unwillingly. She knew to take some time by herself. Even with no expertise or experience in the area of relationships, Tenten did know that it did hurt. Not like a small scratch or a paper cut, but as if a hole opened up in her chest.

Tenten wondered if Neji felt the same way as she did. _Probably not_, she thought. _He isn't a dramatic person. Surprises and such don't even faze him._ She didn't want to think about him at the moment. It hurt a bit. No, she was lying to herself, she knew it. IT hurt a lot.

She remembered how she used to watch movies with him, any movie, and in the romantic dramas when there was a break up or a misunderstanding, she had laughed at the women, melodramatic and weeping into their arms, howling with pain. Neji had just pushed her and told her that maybe, maybe that'll be her in the future. She had retorted with a sarcastic remark, but of course, she hadn't thought of the things that would have happened back then. She was too young. She was still young, but during that youth is the world understood.

It wasn't the time to be depressed or sad, furious or resentful. It was just the time to think, and for Tenten, to feel guilty. Thinking led to new discoveries, which led to future actions, which would then influence others' actions. And she did have a lot of questions for herself, which she could not answer right away. _Did I hurt him? Was there a way out of this in which I didn't have to hurt anyone? Did this hurt me?_ Her head hurt, and she felt kind of choked up, and she felt empty and hollow and as if she was falling into an endless void. She pressed on in her mind, searching for answers, but finding only more questions ahead.

_Would he have run after me? Would I have waited for him if he had ran? Did he regret anything? Did I regret anything? Did he think of me? Did I think of him? What's next? What would have come out if I didn't bring it up? Would we have still ended up like this? Will he come back? Will I be able to wait for him if he did?_

_Is this the end?_

It didn't matter, she sighed as she found her cheeks wet yet again. Only this time, she didn't make a move to wipe them away. She told herself that maybe, it was okay to cry. To cry and let the wall around her that she unknowingly built up crash down. It was okay, as her vision became blurry with tears. It was okay, as she buried her face in her hands. It was okay, as she sunk to her knees. It was okay, as she sobbed uncontrollably into her palms. It was okay, as she grasped fistfuls of her hair. It was okay, as let it out.

It was okay, since the sky outside was crying with her.

The day turned out to give birth to a thunderstorm as well, furious lightning igniting the sky with streaks of fire and thunder rumbling the earth with waves. Rain pelted down like heaven's bullets, harshly attacking the ground in droplets that would normally be considered harmless. Children screamed and ran inside, mothers ushering worriedly, eyes trained on the storm overhead.

Another bout of thunder rattled the window in a certain Hyuuga's room, shaking the building with tremors like earthquakes. Neji's eyes stayed fixated on one point of the room, silvery eyes unmoving and expressionless. His fingers clutched at his desk, this time not moving at all. The ring lay motionless upon the wooden surface, its glint now duller than before, as if the rain outside had took away its shine. It seemed very unimportant in the midst of his emotions at the moment.

He was stupid, he really was. Neji let his hair fall in front of his eyes, now closed. Storms burst out behind his eyes, in his mind. Anger with a touch of, what was it? He hadn't known it some time. Was it regret? Guilt? Sorrow? Something of the sort. Maybe it was fate. No, he had discarded that philosophy long ago. But it was a while ago that something had gnawed at him like this.

He had let his light slip away from his fingers. Neji knew that he never went around trusting people and opening up, but she was different. Tenten was the sun itself, coaxing the moon down from its height, letting it shine in the darkness instead of being a silent orb in the midst of the sky. He enjoyed basking in her sunlight as she taught him, no, she let him open up more.

And it was all shattered in a moment.

The moon existed for people to remember the past. The sun existed for people to anticipate the future. He was the moon itself. He was hung up in his own history, his own mind, stuck in a narrow hallway, like a crater in the moon. _And it was hard to get out. In fact, he was still stuck in it_.

He had fell back in under the glare of fierce chestnut eyes, tears pooling in them and threatening to spill, but not slipping out because _it wasn't supposed to run when the sun was shining._ The crater felt like an endless void, and he never stopped falling. His heart was a void itself, endless and not yielding to anyone or anything.

Neji remembered when he had been younger, when he had despised his family because he believed in fate, believed in the fact that it was his own family that destroyed his father in the end. He shunned his own cousin, the closest thing to a sister he ever had, the only person who wanted to care but shivered from the cold aura he always radiated. Everyone seemed to shiver in his presence, under the scar on his forehead, seemed to be carved daintily onto the once untouched pale stretch of skin. He still couldn't remember how it got there, but he always thought and believed it was from his family. The hated family that led his father to his death.

He was once again berating his cousin for her weakness in the school hallways in junior high one day that one certain blonde Uzumaki came at him, fists flying, Prussian eyes orbs of fury, and so _unpredictable_. Like no path was set for him. And it sent Neji's brain into a relapse.

Neji might have left Naruto with broken bones, but Naruto left Neji with a broken pride. It led Neji to go into a mental relapse. _Destiny can be changed. Your fate can be changed when you believe in yourself. _The words "dropout" and "genius" and "fate" and "destiny" swam in his mind for the next week, twisting his previous philosophy into a new one, a better one, a brighter one even perhaps.

And he met _her_. Fiery, different, a tomboy, talented in academics, athletics, and the arts. Never missed her aim with a punch during a fight (which she only got involved in when she really needed to). Cross country's secret weapon, a black belt in many forms of martial arts, straight A student, brilliant artist with flowing penmanship, and above all, a remarkable artist in music. She could weave memories and emotions better with just sound than sentimental women sewing storybook patchwork quilts. Clumsy with words and an eloquent speaker in music. _She spoke the loudest during orchestra. She never had to open her mouth._

He did not know when he fell in love with her. Or how. If he could pinpoint a specific reason, he didn't believe he really loved her. When he found her again, the stars twinkled, hope fell down in beacons of light. She really was brilliant. She could manipulate with her eyes, she could convey emotions with just those eyes better than he could with his entire body. _That's why she is a better musician than you_, he thought. _She can not only feel things, but she can express them better than using words._ He played like a practicing machine, clearly skilled, but not noticeably passionate.

Her feelings came like explosions, her devotion as fiery as her personality and her passion glowing like embers. He was really like an ice cube, wasn't he.

_And stupid to let her go. To not chase after her. _

He let his head fall to the table heavily, hair falling in pools of dark chocolate and ebony. When he closed his eyes, he could only see her earthly fire extinguishing the winter storms that he had conjured.

When Hinata went upstairs to check on him (seeing that he had not left his room for several hours), she found him asleep, a pained expression on his face. Smiling sadly, she closed his door.

The rain pounded harder.


End file.
